Princess Nandini of Jaislemeher was the only daughter of King Dushyanth and he pampered her as such. She was spoiled with every luxury one could imagine; her feet had never even touched the bare ground and so it was only natural, that she developed...
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Later that morning, as the inhabitants of the camp began preparations for the day, the camp bustled with noise.
I was extremely hungry and could not wait until the hot lunch was prepared. Abhimanyu had told me that we were due to leave right after lunch. I hoped that he would not return my ill-fitted Persian sandals that did little to help me and instead would find a mode of transport worthy of me.
If he worked fast enough, he could arrange an adequate Palanquin. I also did not mind riding an elephant as long as all four sides were secure with a shade over top.
I would also prefer he arranged some clothes for me because I was still in the same state as last night. I had not showered, not combed, and not changed.
I could have gone around to find something but I could not get the weight of Saraswati's words off my chest or the guilt in my stomach. It was a foreign feeling, the guilt, and it was so unpleasant.
Just then an old maid whom I had seen around the castle but did not recognize came up to where I was sitting on a stool under the shade and pulled me from my thoughts.
She handed me a large clay pot.
I gave her a confused look.
"Go and fill up this pot from the river," she said.
"You wish for me to fill this pot up?" I asked almost amused at the notion of Princess Nandini filling water.
"Did you not understand when I spoke the first time?" she asked.
I had an urge to snap at the older woman. Let her know that regardless of my father's...breathing status, I was still the daughter of King Dushyanth and the Princess of Jaiselmer and no servant told me what to do but I pushed the urge away quite easily.
Likely because of the lingering guilt I still felt after Saraswati's words.
"I do not have sandals on right now," I replied lifting my ghagra to show her.
"And?" she asked lifting her ghagra to show bare feet, deeply calloused and cut in several places.
"Why do you walk around without sandals?" I asked horrified at how bad her feet looked. I did not understand why she would walk around without any footwear when that had to hurt.
Had Abhimanyu taken her sandals too to stop her from running away?
She let out a bitter laugh.
"You think we can afford footwear?" She asked looking at me as if I was the biggest idiot she had ever talked to.
"You walked all the way here without any sandals?" I gasped.
"You talk too much. Yuvraj Abhimanyu has ordered me to make you useful," she said.
